


Hazards of the Job

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:15:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Personal relationships could not outweigh professionalism; it didn’t matter that he felt like screaming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hazards of the Job

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the **lucky charm** prompt.

“There is a strong possibility that all five boys are in there alive.” The commanding officer of St. Paul SWAT told Hotch.“We haven’t found a single body.”

 

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t any.” Derek replied.“There are at least 12 missing boys in the Twin Cities over the past seven months that fit the victimology.We have no idea what we might find.”

 

“If this is our guy.” Rossi added.“Cameron is almost too perfect…no one fits the profile to a tee.”

 

“SWAT first, then bomb squad, FBI, and state police take up the rear.This will be dangerous; we’re catching him off guard on his own turf and he will not be happy.The only casualty I want to pull out of that house is Cameron if it comes to that.Watch your back people; watch your brother’s back.Your sister’s back too.” he made a nod to JJ, Emily, and the lone female SWAT officer.“Load up folks.”

 

“We’re with the lead team.” Hotch said as the BAU walked over to a black van.

 

They climbed in the back; no one bothered with conversation.The quiet was just what some of the officers wanted.It unnerved others but they kept that to themselves.Reid sneezed, breaking the silence.

 

“Bless you.” Prentiss said.

 

“Thank you.” He wiped his nose.

 

She stole a glance at all of her team members.They were in the zone…snapping your fingers in their faces probably wouldn’t break the spell.Emily wasn’t nervous; that was the wrong word.Something was off but she could not put her finger on it.Instead, she clutched the rings around her neck, said a prayer for the team, herself, those young boys, and got in the zone too.Hotch’s eyes connected with hers and stayed there.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked without words.

 

“Don’t worry about me.I'm ready to go boss…no special treatment remember?”

 

“I'm not…”

 

“Stop it”

 

“I am not…”

 

“Stop!”

 

“Prentiss!”

 

“What!”

 

“I cannot believe you are fighting with me, you insane woman.”

 

“I am not.I'm getting in the zone…going to get this damn guy.”

 

“Damn right.I love you.”

 

“I love you too.Now stop looking at me before I make you burst into laughter.”

 

Hotch wasn’t sure if she could succeed but he didn’t want to risk it so he focused on something else.

 

***

 

_ “Officer down!Officer down!” _

__

_ “Suspect shot!Suspect apprehended!” _

__

_ “Officer down!I repeat we have an officer down!” _

__

_ “I hear you Pierce…we are heading your way!” _

__

_ “There are two bodies in the freezer.Four living victims, one critical.I repeat, one critical.” _

__

_ “Where the hell is that bus?We have an officer down!” _

 

Mass hysteria reigned over the large house in the suburbs of St. Paul.Cameron may not have been aware they were coming but he prepared himself for an ambush.Booby traps and guns were in every room.This UnSub was sick and he was good with his toys.SWAT prepared the best they could but it was a hard fight.Gunfire was inevitable.

 

“Hotch?Hotch, where are you?”

 

“Third floor, Morgan.He has a secret room behind the wall in the back room.There are some small-time torture devices, movie making equipment, and…”

 

“Prentiss is down.”

 

“What!”

 

“I think she is going to be OK.”

 

“I'm coming right now.”

 

“Hotch, I think she's going to be OK.”

 

He started running through the large house, already a maze to begin with.The BAU split up when they crashed in.It wasn’t unusual and necessary considering the size of the residence.Hotch needed to get himself together.Derek said he thought she was OK…but that did not mean she was OK.Personal relationships could not outweigh professionalism; it didn’t matter if he felt like screaming.At the bottom of the stairs, Rossi stopped his feet from moving.Good thing, as Hotch was sure he would have run straight through the wall.

 

“Where is she?”

 

“She's in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I don't know; there was hysteria.”

 

“Was she shot?” Hotch asked.

 

“I don’t know.Go to the hospital, make sure she’s alright.She was conscious when they took her out.”

 

“Have the living victims been transported?”

 

“Yeah.Excuse me, officer?”

 

“Yes sir?”

 

“Please take Special Agent Hotchner to the hospital.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Thanks Dave.”

 

“Give Prentiss our love.”

 

Hotch nodded, following the officer out to the Minnesota State Police car.

 

“Were any officers seriously hurt?” Hotch asked.

 

“No sir, not to my knowledge.We took fire but prevailed.That guy is a real sicko, isn’t he?”

 

“He certainly is.”

 

“Then I'm glad he’s off the street.”

 

“Me too.”

 

***

 

Hotch stood a few feet from the gurney in the emergency room of St. Cecelia’s MemorialHospital. Emily’s eyes were closed and he asked her to open them, again without saying a word.Her eyes slowly came into focus, looking deep into his.

 

“I'm OK.” she tried to sit up.“Ow.”

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, seconds from losing it.

 

“I'm OK, Hotch.C'mere.”

 

He walked over, sliding the curtain closed.Hotch sat on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

 

“I was scared to death.”

 

“Don't squeeze too hard…I'm mangled.”

 

Pulling apart, Hotch broke the rules and kissed her lips.

 

“What the hell happened?I thought you might have been shot.”

 

“No.” Emily shook her head.“That place had more booby traps than the boys’ dorm at CampCovington.” She lay back on the pillows and grimaced.Taking Hotch’s hand in hers, she held it close to her chest.“We took the basement, I went in first…fourth step…tripwire.McGee from SWAT tried to grab hold but he missed me.I went down hard.”

 

“Dammit.”

 

“I'm OK.Well, they had to pop my shoulder back; you missed the screaming.I bruised a couple of ribs, sprained my ankle, bruised my humerus, and they thought I had a concussion.”

 

“Do you have a concussion?” Hotch asked.

 

“No, but they’re going to come back in a while with my x-rays.” She tried to take a deep breath and failed.“OK, I'm not going to do that anymore.”

 

“You have to breathe Em.”

 

“Yeah, but I have to do it with minimal pain.”

 

“I was so worried about you.” He leaned his forehead against hers.

 

“I'm fine.I had my lucky charms.”

 

“Your what?”

 

“My lucky charms.” Her hand moved to her neck and the two wedding bands on the chain.

 

“They bring you luck?”

 

“Yes.As long as our love is around me, I will always be safe.”

 

“Damn that was sappy.”

 

“Shut up.” She slapped his arm.

 

Hotch smiled, kissing her again.

 

“Rule breaker.”

 

“I don’t care.” He mumbled, his mouth still over hers.

 

“You care Agent Hotchner.”

 

“Agent Prentiss?” a doctor slid the curtain back.

 

Hotch didn’t get up from the side of the bed but he slipped his hand out of hers.

 

“Special Agent Hotchner.” He extended his hand.

 

“Dr. Campbell.Agent Prentiss, you're going to be OK.The ribs are bruised but not broken; you're going to have to take it easy for a week or so.”

 

“And the ankle?” she asked.

 

“Sprained not broken, the shoulder is going to be fine, the wrist and humerus are bruised, and you don’t have a concussion.Overall, plenty of bang but no permanent damage.I would say you should definitely take a few days off, maybe a week if you could.Rest, and try to stay off that ankle.See your doctor when you return home and you should take Motrin for the pain.I can write you a prescription for the 800mg if you'd like.”

 

“I would like that, thanks.”

 

“Did you get the guy?” the doctor asked.“I saw some of it on the news.”

 

“I don't know.” Emily replied.“I was too busy falling down the stairs.”

 

“Alright.Well I’ll be back with some paperwork and your prescription.”

 

“Thank you doctor.” She and Aaron said in unison.

 

“Everyone sends their love.” He said when Dr. Campbell was out of earshot.

 

“That was nice.”

 

“I wasn’t the only one worried.”

 

“I feel sort of dumb.I mean, we worry about so many things in this job and I fall down the stairs.”

 

“You could’ve really been injured…that tripwire wasn’t there for laughs.”

 

“Yeah.” Emily nodded.

 

“I'm glad you're OK.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Why don’t you tell me more about this luck charm of yours?”

 

“Oh, I thought it was sappy.”

 

“Its not…its wonderful.” He toyed with the rings, which Emily had linked together and then slipped through a thin platinum chain.Soon he wanted to wear that ring.Right now, he couldn’t think of a safer place for it to be until that time came.His love around her, Hotch liked the sound of that.

 

***

  


 


End file.
